And frank dove



A. K. LONGREN AND F. DOVE.

AEROPLANE B'ODY CONSTRUCTION.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-6.19m.

Patented Nov. 11, 1919.

Lawns.

IUD ens arias orrrc.

ALBIN K. LONGREN, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, AN D FRANK DOVE, OF TQPEKA, Ke'NSAS; SAID DOVE ASSIGNOR TO SAID LONGREN.

insane.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it knownthat we,ALB1N K. LONGREN and FRANK Dove, citizens of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of J ackson' and State of Missouri, and at Topeka, county ofShawnee, and State of Kansas, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Aeroplane- Body Constructions; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertainsto make and use the same, reference being had .to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to air craft construction, and more particularly to a method of constructing fuselage; the principal object of the invention being to provide a method of construction employing the use of certain materials whereby a practically indestructible body may be formed and the latter may be given a certain desired curvature heretofore not attained with the use of these materials.

It is a further object ofthe invention-to provide a continuously curved, stream lined body by the combination of wood and fiber laminations, which is of light weight, yet

possesses sufficient strength to produce a body of the greatest possible efiiciency;

In the construction of aeroplanes of a certain type, it has beenfound most practical to make an elongated body, preferably oval in cross section and tapered in a gradually increasing curve from its forward end,

wherein the motive mechanism is contained, to the rearward end which carries horizontal and vertical rudders for-directing the course of the plane during a flight. Such'a body, in order to be practical, must be very light and at the same time possess a certain. amount of strength in order that the planes and other parts may be substantially miounted thereon and ofsuch lengththat a longitudinal balance of the machine is accomplished.

Heretofore, in the construction of this form of fuselage we have used wood veneer,

because fiber sheets could not be warped to fit the desiredourvature of the-form, and consequently the body lacked the desired strength. However, by the present method Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. ilil, rare.

. llpplication filed February a, 1913. Serial No. 215,574.

we have been able to combine the materials used in such a manner that the fuselage, or body, may be given the desired curvature and possibly greater strength and rigidity than previously attained; the use of fiber being made possible by a certain cutting and fitting together of sections as is presently described,

ent invention, we have provided a streamllned fuselage, built up of wood and fiber lamlnations; the desired form of constructlon and disposition of the material used bemg lllustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure I is a side view of an aeroplane having a body constructed according to the present invention.

Fig. II is an enlarged sectional View of a portion of the same on the line 'IIII, Fig. I.

Fig. III is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the body material, part of the outer layer being removed to illustrate the is constructed by separately applying the' laminations of material about a form of the desired contour, which, after the laminations have been glued, and the glue properly set, is removed. The inner layer .2, com- In accomplishing th'e objects of the presprises a plurality of strips of Wood veneering cut to a certain pattern and placed longitudlnally on the form so that they may be drawn together and will fit closely about the form. Glue is then applied to the outer surface of this first layer and the fiber sections 4, cut to the required shape and size, are

.fitted together on the glued surface and are held thereto by any suitable binding, until the glue sets suficiently tohold the sections as laced.

warp a large sheet of fiber to a double curved surface as presented by the body here shown, and in order that fiber may be j before mentioned, it is impossible to used it has been found necessary that it be cut in sections of acertain size and shape, so that whenfitted together to cover the body they will adapt themselves to its contour. By experimenting it has been found that only sections cut in a diamond shape, as shown in Fig. III, will meet these requirements, and these sections vary in size according to the degree of curvature/of the body; it being apparent that sections of larger dimensions may be used on the larger part of the body, but on the smaller part of the body, where the curvature is greater, smaller sections are preferable.

In lacing the sections the same are fitted tight y together on-the glued surface of the under layer of wood, with the longest diagonal extending longitudinally with the body. This permits the fiber layer to more nearly conform itself to the body'and produces a substantially smooth upper surface for the application of the outer lamination or layer of material 3.

After the fiber layer has properly set, the outer layer of wood veneer comprising longitudinally placed strips placed on those of the inner layer, is applied thereto by first covering the fiber surface with a coat of glue and placing the wood thereon and binding the same tightly to the fiber so that a continuous glued construction isprovided.

It-is apparent that various. means may be used to bind the layers together while the gluing is being done and while glue is setting, but it is immaterial. to the present invention what method is used so long as one is used whereby a tight and continuous glued joint is provided between the layers and abutting edges of the fiber sections.

After the fuselage has been thus formed it may be coated with a suitable water proofing material, though this does not enter into the present invention.

It is apparent that by this particular method of construction we are able to produce a body of the desired contour Without eliminating the use of fiber, and 'as fiber forms the principal part of the combination of materials, a practically indestructible body and one of the greatest efficiency, is produced.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new therein, and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. In an aeroplane, a laminated body comprising surface layers of flexible material, and an intermediate layer of fiber sections laid edge to edge and substantially.

glued to said surface layers for the purpose set forth. 1

2. In an aeroplane, a laminated body comprising surface layers of flexible material, and an intermediate layer of abutting sections of a more substantial and less flexible material substantially glued to the surface layers for the purpose set forth.

mediate layerof abutting diamond shaped fiber sections laid edge to edge and sub stantially glued to said surface layers to form a composite body sheet.

6. In an. aeroplane, a laminated body of the character described comprising inner and outer layers of Wood veneering comprising strips extending longitudinally of the body, an intermediate layer of abutting diamond shaped fiber sections laid with their longest diagonal longitudinally with the body, and substantially glued to said surface layers to form a composite body sheet.

In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures.

ALBIN K. LONGREN, FEANK novn.

laminated body 

